Method of wrapping round cakes



Jan. 13, 1948. w. HOPPE 2,434,617

METHOD OF WRAPPING ROUND CAKES Filed July 26, 1946 2.Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR WFLL/QIM boPPE ATTO R N EYS Jan. 13, 1948. w, HOPPE 2,434,617

METHOD OF WRAPPING ROUND CAKES Filqd July 26, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Mumnfia ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 13, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF WRAPPING ROUND CAKES Application July 26, 1946, Serial No. 686,526

2 Claims. (01. 93-2) This invention relates to an improved method of wrapping and heat sealing round articles such as round cakes. One common way of wrapping such articles is to fold the wrapper over the top and sides and then gather the margins underneath the article and seal them in place, although tight sealing is diflicult on account of the large mass of paper gathered under the article. By my process, to be described, a saving over this prior process of about 25% in the amount of wrapping material is secured. Another known way of wrapping round cakes is to place them in a U-shaped piece of cardboard and then wrap the assembly in the same way as a square cake would be wrapped. This method adds the cost of the cardboard and detracts from the appearance of the round cakes, both of which troubles are avoided by the process to be described.

The invention will now be described in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Figs. 1 and 2 show successive stages in the preliminary wrapping of the cake; and

Fig. 3 is a. detail of a simple form of mechanism by which the final stage of wrapping may be accomplished.

The round cake I is wrapped in a heat sealable wrapper 2 in the same way as if square. It is preferred that the wrapping be done with the end folds 3, 4, 5 and 6 folded progressively upon each other around the end of the package, but this is not essential. The bottom and ends of the package are now heat sealed in one of the usual ways, such as heating the folders or passing the package over and between parallel heated plates. The result is a package as shown in Fig. 2, in which the central part of the overlapping folds will be sealed more tightly than the portions near the corner, since only in the center is the wrapper backed up by the cake.

The wrapped and partially heat sealed cake is then passed between a hot plate 1 and an opposed movable belt 8 so that the package is forced to roll along as shown in Fig. 3. The cake being round, whereas the preliminary wrapping makes a substantially square package, the corners of the latter will be pressed down against the cake by the hot plate. The wrapper thus assumes a round form in conformity with the shape of the cake although the wrapping operation was initially such as to give a square package. Complete sealing of the package also results, since those parts not thoroughly sealed together in the initial wrapping are all pressed firmly and heated. 5 The belt 8 is preferably backed up by a strip 9 to cause it to travel in a straight line, while the heater l is preferably made in short sections l0 individually spring mounted as shown at II and carrying on at least the first few of the series heating elements I2. To insure that the cake will roll and not slide the surfaces of the heating sections H) are preferably roughened or provided with ribs I3.

I claim: a

1. A method of wrapping a round article with a flat top and bottom which comprises folding a heat sealing wrapper over one flat surface of the article and overlapping its margins on the other flat surface to form an open tube projecting beyond the article at both ends, folding the projecting ends of the tube, so that the folds lie tangential to the round surface of the article, and rolling the wrapped article in contact with a heated surface to heat seal the wrapper and cause 25 it to conform closely to the round surface of the article.

2. A method of wrapping a round article with a flat top and bottom which comprises folding a heat sealing wrapper over one fiat surface of the article and overlapping its margins on the other fiat surface to form an open tube projecting beyond the article at both ends, folding the projecting ends of the tube so that the folds lie tangential to the round surface of the article, heat sealing the folded fiat ends of the tubular wrapper,

and rolling the wrapped article in contact with a heated surface to heat seal the wrapper and cause it to conform closely to the round surface of the article.

WILLIAM HOPPE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,642,804 Byrnes Sept. 20. 1927 5 2,371,858 Tuthill et al. Mar. 20, 1945 

